Hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer



J. ROUSSO Jan. 20, 1942.

HOPPER FEEDING TRANSFER TRUCK AND PORTABLE CONVEYER Filed April 22,- 1940 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 0 Z [a W M J Jan. 20, 1942. J. ROUSSO 2,270,345

HOPPER FEEDING TRANSFER TRUCK AND PORTABLE CONVEYER Filed April 22, 1940 5 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Y M Q 1 i T: m W N 1 k3 I m n v i: n

w 3 x s N F i g' ffzflerzfart' 74 2272 esesr J 467515.; 7 a as; 0 Z;- W/ ,3? v M M 5m J. ROUSSO Jan. 20, 1942.

HOPPER FEEDING TRANSFER TRUCK AND PORTABLE CONVEYER Filed Apri1. 22, 1940 5 SheefcS-Shee't 3 flmfzzzfars Jacyaes 72% useg.

226 A720 r/zj Patented Jan. 20, 1942 HOPPER FEEDING TRANSFER TRUCK PORTABLE CON VEYER OFFICE AND:

Jacques Rousso, Chicago, 111. Application April 22; .1940, Serial No. 330,843

12 Claims. (Cl. 214-83) This invention relates to laundry and like appliances and more specially to a hopper feeding transfer car or truck and portable conveyer.

In laundries it has been a laborious matter to handle washedlaundry from a washing machine or other equipment in a wet condition and especially to receive and transport the same as from Fig. is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectiontaken on the line 'l--! P of Fig. 5; and

a washing machineor after draining some of the water or washing solution therefrom and to convey the same to an agitating machine or dryer, such as for preparing the clothes for feeding into an ironing machine. This is particularly due to the fact that the clothes, especially heavy materials such as towels, become somewhat closely compacted and in a relatively tangled mass, be-

sides being heavy when wet and therefore difficult to handle and lift.

and efiicient device or wheeled mechanism in the form of a hopper feeding transfer car or truck and portable conveyer in one unit or assembly adapted for use especially in laundries for receiving wet or very damp washed laundry goods, usually too wet for ironing in its somewhat closely compacted and tangled form as a mass or batch from a washing machine or after removing some of the water, washing solution or moisture therefrom and for transferring or transporting the clothes to and feeding the same into an agitator or revolving horizontal drum or cylinder which fluffs or loosens the same, as well as removing sufiicient of the moisture therefrom or partially drying the clothes as to render the material suit-' able for ironing or passing through an ironing machine or mangle, as well as to permit the articles such as towels or the like to be readily separated, sorted out or individually grasped and passed into the ironingmachine, orother equipment, although the device may be adapted for other uses as it is thought willbe readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Further objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: i

Fig. l is a side elevation of a hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer with one end portion omitted and showing the device applied to an agitator;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side end of the device;

elevation of one Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l; v

Fig. 4 is an end elevation lookingtoward the discharge end;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the lines 8-8 of Figs. 5 and '7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device. comprises a portable car or truck including a wheeled frame III, the base or bottom frame of which comprises longitudinal horizontal side members II and transverse horizontal end members I2 of angle iron or otherwise and connected at the corners by welding, with or without gusset plates VI 3 forming rigid-connections at the corners for the frame members. The bottom frame is reinforced intermediately between the side members by transverse braces I l which may also beof angle iron, welded. or, otherwise connected at their ends .to the sidemembers, which latter, like the end members have lower'inwardly extending horizontal flanges and upwardly extending outer flanges. Gusset plates l5 may be used at the connections between the braces l4 and the side members ll'andswivelled casters 16 may be mounted beneath the cornersof the frame to produce a portable truck'or car preferably having cushion rollers l1.

An upright frame rises from the base or bottom frame .10 substantially as now described. Corner posts or uprights 18 are provided on the base or bottom frame with their inner flanges running longitudinally and outer flanges projecting perpendicularly outwardly. Uprights l9 are also provided intermediate the ends of the frame and similarly positioned with respect to the location of their flanges, but preferably closer to the feed end of the device. Diagonal braces 20 connect the frame members II and I8 at the sides while similar braces 2'! connect the frame members I2 and I8 at the ends to produce a strong and rigid construction. Longitudinal angle or channel bars 22 are provided at the top of the frame connecting the upper ends of the uprights l8 and I 9 along each side and have their ends projecting beyond theuprights I8 forming the corner posts for a purpose to be hereinafter pointed out. I

A cross brace. 23 of angle iron or the like is provided adjacent to, but spaced from. the discharge end between the longitudinal bars 22 and between the adjacent uprights l8, and the bars 22 may be in the form of channels facing inwardly and with their upper and lower flanges extending inwardly.

The top and bottom flanges 24 of the bars 22 thus forming channels and tracks especially at the discharge end, and each web is provided with a longitudinal slot 25 in the projecting ends of the bars 22 spaced from the adjacent uprights I8. The top flange 24 may be welded in position, although the bars 22 may be of channel formation. Upper diagonal braces 28 corresponding to the aforesaid diagonal braces, are provided between the uprights I8 and the bars 22 at the sides to further rigidify the structure and strengthen the longitudinal bars or angle members 22 which are connected at spaced intervals by a plurality of transverse horizontal cross braces 21, preferably in the form of inverted channels disposed relatively close to one another, but spaced from the ends of the bars a fairly considerable distance. Rollers 28 are mounted on shafts 29 journaled in bearings 30 of the longitudinal bars 22, and these rollers project slightly above the webs of the channels 21, as shown in Figs. and 6. Each roller is preferably provided intermediate its ends with a V-shaped circumferential groove 3| and a belt 32 which passes over the rollers and rests thereon as well as under the rollers between the side members of the frame, but spaced from the rollers at the bottom, is preferably provided at the inside with a central longitudinal rib 33 of leather or other material, while the belt is preferably of canvas or the like, and this rib sits in the grooves 3| to give better traction and prevent sidewise slipping or shifting of the belt which acts as a conveyer.

A drive roller or rollers 34 has a similar groove and this roller is considerable larger than the rollers 28. It is mounted on ashaft 35 journaled in bearings 38 beneath the longitudinal bars 22 and the bearings 36 may be supported on the frame in any suitable manner such as by attachment to the uprights I8. The belt passes around this roller and at the bottom where the belt is spaced from the rollers 28 due to the tendency of the lower lap of thcbelt to sag, it may be passed over an idle roller 31 adjacent the large roller 34 which forms the drive roller. The roller 3'! maintains the belt in contact with the major portion of the periphery of the drive roller 34 and is mounted in bearings on the uprights I8 or directly in the uprights. A belt tightening adjustable roller 38 is provided at the opposite or discharge end as distinguished from the feed end at which the rollers 34 and 31 are located and has a similar groove for receiving the belt rib. This roller 38 is mounted on a shaft 39 journaled in horizontal extension arms 48 which are adjustable longitudinally in alignment with the bars 22 and 21, that is, mounted for sliding movement and adapted to be extended or retracted. These arms have outstanding apertured ears or bearings M at their inner ends which extend through the slots 25. The bars forming the arms 4|] are mounted between the upper and lower flanges of the bars 22 or between the lower flanges 22 and the upper flanges 24 to slide therein as particularly shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. Horizontal adjusting screws 42 are swiveled, that is, adapted to turn, but held against translation, axial or longitudinal movement in the ears M and are threaded through nuts 43 on the uprights I8 50 that by turning the screws, the arms 40, together with the roller 38 may be extended or retracted and by this horizontal longitudinal adjustment the slack in the belt may be taken up as desired. r

In order to drive the conveyer belt, any suitable drive means may be provided, but preferably a sprocket 44 is provided on one end of the shaft 35 and roller 34 on which a chain or drive belt 45 is trained and also trained around a sprocket 46 of a gear reduction reversing shaft 4'! of a reducing gear associated with an electric motor 48 mounted on a base plate 49 resting upon two adjacent transverse braces I4 and securely bolted thereto. The conduit 58, having electrical connection to the motor, extends to a junction box or connecting socket 5I mounted on the bar 22 at the adjacent side of the machine and is adapted for connection with an extension cord 52 from a wall socket or house wiring so that electrical energy may be conveyed to the motor.

The top of the frame supports a hopper 53 outwardly of the feeding conveyer belt and around the sides and feeding or closed end thereof while the discharge end is open. This hopper has a high wall 54 at the back or side opposite that where the operator works, and the front side 55 is lower in that its top edge terminates below the top edge of the side 54 and in this respect is narrow. The hopper at the feed or closed end 56 is also as high as the side 54. The sides and ends of the hopper are supported by inclined extensions or angular extension bars 51 connected to the uprights I8 and I9 at the feed end and forming a part of braces 58 at the opposite end. A brace 59 is also provided at the feed end between the uprights I8 and the end 56 of the hopper, all walls of which are in the form of imperforate metal walls suitably reinforced, if desired. They are shown with depending flanges at their outer edges for strength and stiffness and with suitable braces between the portions 55 and 56 at their outer edges and at the corner of the latter adjacent thereto, although it is to be understood that this is optional structure.

A brace or upright 60 is provided at the feed end of the frame upon the longitudinal side bar I I in line with and extending upwardly and outwardly from the adjacent upright I8 to connect to the side of a handle 6| for supprting the latter. This handle is of substantially U-shaped formation and is also connected by brackets to the uprights 68 and I9 at the feed end and pro- J'ects rearwardly to the brace 59 and may be conveniently grasped for moving the wheeled truck and conveyer about. The open end 62 of the hopper is the discharge end and the conveyer extends outwardly therefrom and is adapted to be projected through a slide door opening 63 of an agitating machine in the form of a rotatably driven horizontal drum or cylinder 64 forming part of the laundry equipment and mounted upon a frame 65. This frame carries apertured brackets 66 for a pivot shaft 61 on which hooks 68 are fixed and adapted to be swung down over the vertical flange of the adjacent end bar I2 to maintain the relation betwen the present device and the agitating machine and so as to hang down to be out of the way when not in use.

In the use and operation of the device, the clothes from the washing machine are placed, or otherwise deposited upon the endless conveyer or belt 32, as by discharging the washing machine thereon While moving the conveyer toward the closed end of the hopper if desired by the reversing gear and shaft 4'! of the motor 48. While ordinarily the clothes are placed in wet condition upon the conveyer and retained by the hopper, if deposited on the projecting end of the conveyer, the latter may be operated in a loading direction from theprojecting end or open end of the hopper to the closed or feeding end and the clothes will be retained by the Walls of the hopper as moved back thereon. It is, of course, to be understood that the truck has been disconnected from the agitator by lifting the hooks 68 and moved to the washing machine or other point for receiving the wet laundry. The device is then moved to the agitating machine, connected in position by hooks 68, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, whereupon the motor is connected to drive the endless belt of the conveyer from the feeding to the discharge end which projects into the opening of the agitator drum, thus discharging this heavy material in a relatively closely compacted and somewhat tangled wet condition into the drum to facilitate handling thereof. The drum is then operated to loosen or fluff and partially dry the clothes to a damp condition suitable for ironing as in an ironing machine. This machine will save considerable labor and expenditure of energy as well as facilitate the handling of the laundry and the enormous weight of the material.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer including a substantially waist high portable frame mounted on casters and adapted to be pushed about by hand, a reversible conveyer on the frame and projecting from one end thereof and a hopper on the frame projecting above the conveyer and frame, said hopper being open at one end and closed at the other end and on two opposite sides, one side being lower than the other side and end to facilitate handling of the material on the conveyer by an operator positioned at the low side.

2. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer including a wheeled frame adapted to be pushed about by hand, a conveyer on the frame, a hopper on the frame above and. along I the sides and one end of the conveyer, said hopper being open at one end of the conveyer transversely thereof and closed at the opposite end of the conveyer transversely thereof and also closed at opposite sides at the opposite longitudinal sides of the conveyer, one side of the hopper being lower than the other side and closed end and a motor on the frame beneath the conveyer and having operative connections with the conveyer at the closed end of the hopper to drive the conveyer in reverse directions.

3. A device of the class described for laundry use including a frame adapted to be moved about by hand, a horizontally fixed conveyer on the frame and projecting from at least one end thereof, a hopper on the frame having an open end and a closed end and opposite sides, one side being lower than the other and about waist high and means to connect the frame to a machine into which material on the conveyer is discharged, the top of the frame having walls at opposite sides along the edges of the convey-er, an open end for receiving and discharging material on the conveyer and a closed end remote from said open end.

4. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer including a portable frame adapted to be pushed about by hand, a conveyer on the frame, a hopper on the frame and a motor on the frame having operative connections with the conveyer to drive the same in reverse directions, one end of the hopper being open and the other end closed, side walls along opposite edges of the conveyer and the conveyer projecting beyond the open end of the hopper.

5. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer including a portable frame adapted to be pushed about by hand, a conveyer on the frame, a hopper on the frame and a motor on the frame having a reducing-reversing gear and operative connections with the conveyer to drive the same at varying speeds in reverse directions, said hopper comprising a wall around two sides and one end of the frame and conveyer and the other end open, one side being lower than the side and end.

6. A hopper feeding transfer truck andport able conveyer including a portable frame adapted to be pushed about by hand, an endless belt conveyer on the frame, a hopper on the frame and a motor on the frame having operative connections with the conveyer to drive the same, said frame having a top portion, cross members for said top portion comprising spaced parallel inverted channel members, rollers journaled therein between the cross members and projecting above the frame on which the endless belt conveyer runs and over the spaced reinforcing and sup-.

porting bars between and parallel to the rollers.

7. In a device of the class described, an endless conveyer including a frame supported on casters, a drive roller of large diameter at one end, an adjustable roller at the opposite end, intermediate rollers parallel to each other and the first named rollers, an endless belt traveling over the rollers and inverted transverse channel members spaced between each pair of the last named rollers and above which the latter project.

8. In a device of the class described, an endless conveyer including a wheeled frame for movement by hand, a drive roller at one end, an adjustable roller at the opposite end, intermediate rollers parallel to each other and the first named rollers, an endless belt traveling over the rollers and spaced transverse inverted channel members between the last named rollers and above which the latter project, said rollers having grooves and the belt having a rib entering the grooves, and.

means for adjusting the second named roller in and out to vary its projection with the conveyer from the adjacent end of the frame and take up slack therein and having bearings slidably supported and guided by the frame.

9. In a device of the class described, an endless conveyer including a wheeled frame about waist high to be moved about by hand and having side channel members at the top, a drive roller at one end, an adjustable roller at the opposite end, intermediate rollers parallel to each other and the first named rollers and journaled in said channel members, an endless belt traveling over the rollers, reinforcing members between the last named rollers and above which the latter project, said rollers and members being transversely arranged in spaced parallel relation, and means for adjusting the second named roller in and out and havingbearings guided in the channel members of the frame.

10. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer for use in laundries to convey washed laundry from a washing machine to an agitating machine or drier comprising a substantially waist high frame mounted on swiveled casters to be wheeled about by hand, said frame having horizontal top and bottom portions, uprights connecting the same, certain of said uprights being extended upwardly and outwardly to support walls forming two sides and an end providing a hopper open at one end, one side of the hopper being lower than the other side and end, a horizontal endless conveyer traveling along the top of the frame and projecting from one end of the hopper and means for driving the conveyer at different speeds and in reverse directions.

11. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer for use in laundries to convey washed laundry from a washing machine to an agitating machine or drier comprising a substantially waist high frame mounted on swiveled casters to be Wheeled about by hand, said frame having top and bottom portions, uprights connecting the same, certain of said uprights being extended upwardly and outwardly to support walls forming two sides and an end providing a hopper open at one end, one side of the hopper being lower than the other side and end, an endless conveyer traveling along the top of the frame and projecting from one end of the hopper, said conveyer including a projecting roller positioned outwardly of the open end of the hopper, a drive roller at the closed end of the hopper, said frame having longitudinal side channel members, each provided with a longitudinal slot at the projecting ends of the conveyer, bars singly mounted in said channels and having bearings projecting through the slots, the roller at the projecting end of the conveyer being journaled in said bars at their outer ends, and adjusting screws swiveled to the bearings and threadedly mounted at the sides to adjust the bars longitudinally of the channels.

12. A hopper feeding transfer truck and portable conveyer for use in laundries for conveying wet laundry from a washing machine to an agitating machine or the like comprising a base, a frame rising from the base, a single horizontal longitudinal bar at each side of the frame at the top, spaced parallel transverse bars arranged between said longitudinal bars and connected thereto at their ends forming spaces between, transverse rollers journaled in the longitudinal bars in said spaces and projecting above the transverse bars, walls supported on the top of said frame forming two sides and an end providing a hopper open at one end, an endless conveyer traveling on said top portion over said transverse bars and rollers and projecting at one end of the hopper, a drive roller at the closed end of the hopper, a roller at the projecting end, said longitudinal bars being each provided with a longitudinal slot at the projecting ends of the conveyer, bars slidably mounted in said longitudinal bars and having portions projecting through the slots, the roller at the projecting end of the conveyer being journaled in the last named bars near their outer ends and means mounted at the sides of the frame and engaged with said projecting portions to adjust the slidable bars longitudinally.

JACQUES ROUSSO. 

